Etymograph

English

agreement

Agreement comes from Middle English agrement, from Old French agrement; equivalent to agree + -ment.

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400agrement1‘agreement’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500agrement1‘an understanding, agreement’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1650agreement1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English agreement
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1650, John Donne: “Her nymph-like features such agreements have / That I…”.

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400agrementWiktionary, English agreement‘agreement’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500agrementWiktionary, English agreement‘an understanding, agreement’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1650agreementWiktionary, English agreement. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1650, John Donne: “Her nymph-like features such agreements have / That I…”

Linked words

through Latin grātus ‘pleasing, acceptable, agreeable, welcome’

grace, gratitude, congratulate, gracious, grate, gratuitous, gratis, gracias, congratulation, 8 more

through Old French gré

gree, 1 more

Today it means

noun An understanding between entities to follow a specific course of conduct.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “agreement”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Old French agrement / agreement

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